NATURAL vs MAN-MADE STONES: 4 THINGS YOU MUST CONSIDER

Budget is a crucial element for any project. While we all wish to remodel our homes up to luxury, build our dream bathroom, have that exquisite kitchen we always wanted to have, or even upgrade our flooring, we have to think money.

Yes it is a fact that some people cannot afford to upgrades their countertops with the finest granite or calacatta, and so they yield to man-made stones such as quartz, to get a similar appearance for a more affordable cost.

However, having been in the flooring and stones industry for over 35 years and helped thousands of customers remodel, upgrade, and build their dream homes, I advise you to consider the following factors before rushing into choosing a man-made vs a natural stone.

Trends Are Temporary. Classic Is Forever

Natural stones are not some 21st century innovative or technological advancement achieved by humans. In fact, according to an article by Daniel Morrell,

“The ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to extensively quarry and build with natural stone. They built most of their monuments of granite and limestone. The Great Pyramid of Cheops, the only remaining wonder of the ancient world, was built of massive limestone blocks around 2560 BC.”

So the real question is, are you looking to invest into something you know has a limited shelf life, or one that would last forever? The permanence of the Iconic Egyptian Pyramids stands as undeniable fact that natural stones are better, more durable, with a much higher long-term value for your dollar and property.

Don’t forget style. Natural stones have long represented luxury, and no engineered stone has yet to bring a similar feel and value as marble, granite, travertine, limestone etc.

2. Durability and Value: Think Repairs and Maintenance

Although a lot of people are inclined to follow trendy designs and stones, most do not factor in the future expenses for upkeeps, frequent repairs, replacement and lost money value.

With natural stones ESPECIALLY Travertine, limestone, and even marble, cracks and damages caused by long-term wear and tear and accidents like dropping a heavy object or pouring damaging chemicals, repairs are easier, more effective and rejuvenating.

On the other hand, should you drop something on a porcelain or other manmade material, replacement might be your only option, and since repairs are extremely hard to maintain the consistency, in some cases an entire makeover may be required.

3. Stone Rejuvenation vs. Stone Replacement

While at NCM Importers we offer a wide collection of engineered stones, we always recommend natural stones such as marble, travertine and limestone, for they can be easily polished and rejuvenated every few years to look as if they were installed yesterday.

Again, this is not the case with quartz and other engineered stones. Damages will often leave you with no choice but replacement and rejuvenating manmade material is most of the times not possible.

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NCM is the legacy of hardworking brothers, who dedicated a lifetime of learning and raising the standards of the industry, maintaining quality over quantity and down-to-earth customer service for over three decades.